Will County authorities investigating beating death near Crete

Will County Sheriff's investigators have all but ruled out two suspects in the beating death of an 85-year-old man at his home near south suburban Crete, a department spokesman said Friday.

Deputy Chief Ken Kaupas said investigators had thought two Crete Township residents were involved in the death of Alfred L. Hilton at his home on the 3200 block of Bemes Road, an isolated area roughly 5 miles south-southeast of Crete Village and less than a half mile west of the Indiana state line.

Sheriff's investigators had linked the two suspects to unfamiliar vehicles seen in Hilton's driveway, Kaupas said.

But investigators' hope of either obtaining incriminating statements from the men or finding evidence from Hilton's home in their home "didn't pan out," Kaupas said.

"The feeling is that they are not now as strong suspects as originally believed," Kaupas said. "We're not exactly back to square one. We've collected a lot of evidence."

Hilton's body was discovered Wednesday in the kitchen of his home, Kaupas said, saying the death was caused by blunt force trauma. The home had been ransacked, he said.

Kaupas said Hilton, a "healthy and fit" individual, had been active in his church congregation's food outreach on Tuesdays and would notify fellow participants if he was unable to attend. Hilton's lack of explanation about his absence from the activity on Tuesday prompted a fellow congregant to check on him Wednesday.

That individual found the front door unlocked and Hilton lying in the kitchen, Kaupas said.

Thursday's investigation drew more than a dozen fire, rescue and dive crews from municipalities in eastern Will County and southern Cook County, in response to a call from the Crete Township Fire Protection District.

Fire Chief Jeff Panega said the call was to search for a weapon in the approximately one-acre pond on Hilton's property.